Now Who Doesn't Love a Little Local Italy

    Italy...The images this wonderful country brings up are some of the most iconic in visual or culinary arts. Just take a minute and think up some images of what Italy means to you. Fields of sunflowers, beautiful wines, Renaissance art, pasta, quaint towns, and Pizza Hut. Wait a tick...Pizza Hut? Kinda makes you wonder where Italian food has gone doesn't it? Well that's what we're gonna explore here. I think you'll find that Italian food hasn't disappeared or been turned into overcheesed pepperoni bread, it's just hidden in little beautiful pockets in our cities, towns and kitchens.
    Now this is one blog post that I would love comments on because if it's one thing I miss while living in a small town it's good Italian food. I would love to hear about some good places to try out when I travel. So anyway, I guess it's best to start with some of my favorite places I've found around the U.S. One of my favorites is a recently found spot that's thankfully (fairly) close to home. It's a place called Mercato in Charleston, SC. Mercato is on Market St. next to the big covered market in Charleston and is thus pretty aptly named. It's got dark wood booths and tables, an old school bar, great live jazz and awesome food. It's a great restaurant for a romantic date or just when you're in the mood for good food and good music. There is one dish that you can't miss if you go though, the potato gnocchi. It's a wonderfully made gnocchi with a sweet oven dried tomato sauce made with cipollini onions and braised short rib. It's basically a pot roast pasta and impossible to resist.
    My sister is probably gonna kill me for taking one of her favorites, but if you're in Chicago please do yourself a favor and check out Volare. It is what I think of when I picture the ideal Italian place. It's packed, has REAL Italian waiters serving out of this world food. Their calamari is the best this side of Italy and if you want a good veal marsala then there is no better place. But if you just want a perfect pasta dish then their capellini arrabiatta is a pure taste of the old country.
The last place you just cannot neglect is on the Hill in St. Louis. My wife grew up in St. Louis and showed me the Hill, which is basically little Italy in this beautiful city. The restaurant is Zia's on The Hill and is an Italian landmark in a city full of unbelievable italian food. You enter this place and basically transport to Italy for a few delectable hours before making the trip back when you force yourself to leave. Now I suggest that you try absolutely any and everything, but my favorite is the Spiedini Proscuitto. This masterpiece of culinary artwork is an 8 oz marinated chicken breast lightly dusted in breadcrumbs, basted in lemon butter and charbroiled. They then top it with white wine, lemon butter sauce, proscuitto ham, sliced mushrooms and provel cheese. It's AMAZING!!
    Well, these are a few of my favorites, but if you want to try a wonderful, easy to make Italian favorite at home then you should try my cheesy baked pasta that has become a favorite comfort food of my wife. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients
Olive oil
2 ½ cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 pound (box) pasta (I prefer penne or tortellini)
Enough thinly sliced mozzarella to top pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Pesto (to top the pasta mixture)
1 cup (or your preference) sliced porcini mushrooms

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.
Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, mushrooms, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender (about “{half done”). Drain. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the pesto then the parmesan. Top with sliced mozzarella (cover all of the pasta) Cover with foil and bake until the sauce bubbles and the mozzarella on top melts, about 30 minutes.

I hope you enjoyed a little taste of Italy in the United States, and I hope you learned that next time you crave Italian there are alternatives to Tombstone. Do yourself a favor and find them in your own town, and if you can't then at least you can become your own Italian chef at home! Come back next week for an exotic locale with some of the best food in the world, Morocco!